SIMON: Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York, died yesterday at the age of 88. He was as New York as a salt bagel with an extra schmear. I profiled him when he ran for re-election in 1981.

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SIMON: And he was fun to travel with, from the Bronx to the Battery. But moments after our profile aired, Mayor Koch called and harangued me for 10 minutes, for including so many of his critics in the story. Then he suddenly stopped. Well, I've had my say, he said. Now, how are you?

New York politics was his Yankee Stadium, and Ed Koch loved the game. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.